No Investors, No Fancy Plan—Just One Product and Pure Grit
What You Can Learn From a Woman Who Built an Empire From Brownies
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Introduction
Back in 2004, Mumbai had a gap.
There weren’t many bakeries offering European-quality desserts at affordable prices.
In the middle of this opportunity, Kainaz Messman, a young woman working in hospitality, faced a life-changing setback—a severe back injury. Forced to return to Mumbai, she could’ve easily given up. But instead, she started something sweet—literally.
The Beginning of Theobroma
With ₹1.5 crores from her family, Kainaz launched Theobroma, a small bakery in Colaba. For 10 years, she operated from that one store. No franchises. No branches.
Just one mission—to serve Mumbai the most decadent chocolate brownies and rich pastries the city had ever tasted.
That focus helped Theobroma stand out. It wasn’t just a bakery—it became a beloved brand.
Where It Is Today
Fast forward to today:
200+ stores across 30 cities
An estimated valuation of ₹3,500 crores
A cult-like following for their products
A perfect example of patience meeting perfection
And it all started because someone refused to give up when life threw her a curveball.
3 Lessons You Must Learn From This
01. Start Over Without Shame
Kainaz lost her career due to injury. But she didn’t lose her will to start again. You can reinvent yourself at any age, any stage.
02. Build With Strong Positioning
She didn’t try to serve everyone. She focused on great brownies for one specific market—Mumbai. That clear positioning was her superpower.
03. Be Patient & Persistent
For 10 long years, she built slowly. No shortcuts. No mad funding chases. Just focus, patience, and excellence.
By the time she got funding, the brand had solid roots.
Final Thought
Everyone sees the ₹3,500 crore valuation. But few talk about the 10 years of grinding behind one single bakery outlet. That’s where the magic was.
If you’re building something…
01 - Focus.
02 - Position well.
03 - Stay patient.
Your “Theobroma” moment will come.
Conclusion
Do you think you have nailed the focus and positioning aspect of your life as a business owner or working professional? If you feel the answer is no, let me tell you: Your focus is being affected because you don’t have your positioning in place. Want to fix your positioning? How about we connect for a 1:1 consulting session where I help you fix your positioning to the t, step by step? Feel free to reach out to me, and let’s connect.Your Thoughts!
If you’ve reached till this point of the post, I’m sure you must have some thoughts/ feelings/ opinions about what you’ve just read.
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Tell me how you are processing the information that you’ve just read?
Do you agree with my thoughts?
Do you think I missed something important?
Do you disagree with something in particular?
Let’s continue this conversation (or ask your questions about the post) in the comments below.
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Prompt used to create the image for the note
P.S.: Image made on Meta AI using the prompt, “Imagine a lady bakery owner who is standing outside her bakery with a wide smile on her face with a tray full of chocolate brownies, facing the camera.”